If you’re a regular reader of the blog…not that its been particularly regular over the last year…you’ll know we love cooking and making. My eldest is always inventing something from paper, the youngest loves to help bake cakes, mainly, I’m sure, so she can lick the spoon, and I enjoy cooking and crafting. We also love to be outside, walking, foraging for berries, using them to make syrups and jellies, finding huge caterpillars and keeping them until they turn into hawk moths, identifying the garden birds, etc. So when I came across this magazine, A Year and a Day, it seemed to be the most lovely seasonal blend of our family’s favourites. And I think it’s really lovely to do with older children as well as the littlies too. Have a look at the video below to see the sorts of things included.
With one issue a quarter, it begins with a story, maybe a traditional tale, story from another culture or tradition, and imitates the seasonal changes, focussing on learning activities for you and your children to do together, from using nature to create artworks and storytelling, to cooking ideas and mindfulness activities. It promotes a slower, more conscious way of learning and creating, and can be dipped into or used as a theme for home schooling activities. Here’s what the Year and a Day team have to say about it:
“…a seasonal magazine that aims to guide children into the inner world of traditional stories and out into the natural world around them…encourages both children and adults to use their natural capacity for imagination, creativity and invention through storytelling, painting, number work, drawing, crafting and writing.”
The most exciting thing is, I, along with several other people, have been asked to be brand rep’s for the magazine. They are very kindly gifting us 4 magazines during the next year and me and my girls will be trying out the activities from each one and letting you know how we get on. Those who know me also know I’m not very good at hiding my feelings, so you’ll get an honest review of our favourite ideas, what we felt worked well for our age range and how much we enjoyed the stories and activities. F and Cc may even do their own little reviews as we go along!
So, head on over to Instagram and follow our new team to find out more… Elderberry Wellness & Craft, Hector’s Home, Sunshine & Our Adventures, The Orchard, Exeter, Stars at Play, Kith Homestead, Play with Mrs J, Little Robin Red and Thrive Nature Adventures.
The Chimney House 